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US Lawmakers' Plane Under
Fire in Iraq
BEN EVANS
AP
Friday Aug 31, 2007
A military
cargo plane carrying three senators and a House member was forced
to take evasive maneuvers and dispatch flares to avoid ground
fire after taking off from Baghdad on Thursday night.
The lawmakers said their plane, a C-130, was under fire from
three rocket-propelled grenades over the course of several minutes
as they left for Amman, Jordan.
``It was a scary moment,'' said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., who
said he had just taken off his body armor when he saw a bright
flash outside the window. ``Our pilots were terrific. ... They
banked in one direction and then banked the other direction, and
they set off the flares.''
Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., as well
as Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Ala., were also on the plane.
(Article continues below)
``We were jostled around pretty good,'' said Cramer, who estimated
the plane had ascended to about 6,000 feet. ``There were a few
minutes there where I wondered: 'Have we been hit? Are we OK?'''
Capt. Angel Wallace, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command,
said she was not aware of the incident, and military public affairs
officials in Baghdad could not be reached immediately.
Lawmakers travel to Iraq regularly to get a closer look at military
and political progress there, usually staying inside Baghdad's
secured Green Zone and traveling under heavy security.
Despite the scare, Shelby, Martinez and Cramer said they believed
the recent increase in troop levels has helped stabilize parts
of the country.
``It was kind of dicey,'' Shelby said. ``But it just shows you
what our troops go through every day.''
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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